If you are a Stony Brook student and are working on a game for a PC, the Web, an Android, iPad or any gaming platform, then you should submit an entry to the University’s 10th Annual Game Programming Competition, which will be held on Friday, May 17, at 5 pm in the Charles B. Wang Center Theater.

This yearly competition allows Stony Brook student game developers to work in teams to create original games and then together, enjoy their presentation. Each year brings greater participation and better games than ever before.

The contest is judged by industry professionals from companies such as Activision, Atari, Gameloft, GameLab, Kuma Games, Microsoft, Powerhead Games and more. Students in the competition have gone on to work at companies such as Google, Microsoft, Cryptic Studios, Zynga, Rockstar Games, Activition, the NSA and Applied Visions, and have worked on projects including The Sims, Skylanders, Geometry Wars and Blue Mars. Some have even started their own game companies, like Artizens Inc. and Onslaught Studios, or sold the games they made for the competition independently, like Alpha Fall, while others have gone on to PhD programs at prestigious institutions.

All are welcome to attend this event, which is open to the public and free of charge.

The Rules
Students who enter games in the contest have typically taken CSE 380, Computer Game Programming and/or CSE 381, Advanced Game Programming, but it is not required. All developers working on the entered project must be current Stony Brook University students at the time of the contest; they do not need to be computer science majors. Entered games must be completely original in content except for music. All those entering should expect to make a video trailer promoting their game.

Judging is done by a panel of game industry professionals and is based on their own individual criteria for what makes a game great. Winners get their names engraved on the competition’s plaque.

All entries must be received by Wednesday, May 1, 2013. Once a project has been entered, the team must make an appointment with the contest coordinator, Richard McKenna, a lecturer in the Department of Computer Science, to present the game. He will then select the contest finalists for the competition event on May 17.

To enter your game in the contest, email Richard.McKenna@stonybrook.edu. Include in your email the name of the game, team members with majors, a brief description of the game and technologies to be used to develop the game.